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On 2020-03-13, in the morning, I told two coworkers of mine that I was feeling nauseous. After I clocked out on time, I started to ride my bicycle towards my place of residence. (I sold my car on 2018-05-05.) I rode my bicycle for more than an hour, and I decided that I had to stop. I had a bad headache, and I was feeling very nauseous. At 6:12 AM, I called my half-brother to ask him if he could come to pick me up.
After he took me home, I vomited. In the afternoon, I realized that I couldn't go to work that night. I had a fever, I was feeling weak, I was still feeling nauseous, and I still had a headache. I reported my absence, which was the second one of my entire life, and the reason was illness/injury.
Shortly after that, my schedule for the week of March 14 was unexpectedly changed. Somebody decided to give me an extra day of work, and I don't think that the change was done with good intentions.
On 2020-03-15, I still wasn't feeling well. I went to see a doctor, and I had a fever. I got a prescription, and I got a doctor's note saying that I may return to work on 2020-03-17.
On 2020-03-15, I gave the doctor's note to the store manager. On 2020-03-16, I still wasn't feeling well. I reported my absence, which was the third one of my entire life, and the reason was illness/injury.
Yesterday, 2020-03-23, I noticed that I have two attendance occurrences. It was somewhat hard to believe, especially considering that, on 2020-03-10, Walmart said: "your health is our priority, and, as we've said before, we want any associate who is not feeling well to stay home." Walmart also said that the attendance occurrence policy will be waived through the end of April.
Apparently, Walmart has lied. I even had a doctor's note, but I guess that we're all screwed no matter what. On 2016-08-30, a female (1991-10-29) of Scorpio said: "Target > Walmart."
If Walmart were to temporarily increase everyone's hourly rate by two dollars, just like Target has done, I would actually get more money than the one-time bonus of 150 USD that Walmart is going to hand out to most part-time employees.
When I was a Seasonal Stocker for Aldi, I didn't miss a single day of work. On 2023-01-19, Aldi hired me as a Seasonal Stocker. I started on 2023-01-30, and my last work day was on 2023-04-07. I stayed until the end of my seasonal period of employment, and I didn't miss a single day of work. On 2024-09-13, Aldi hired me as a Seasonal Stocker again. I started on 2024-09-30, and my last work day was on 2025-04-19. I stayed until the end of my seasonal period of employment, and I didn't miss a single day of work. For most of the jobs that I had, I kept perfect attendance; however, I always had bad luck with Walmart. I'm very grateful to have worked at a Neighborhood Market, a Sam's Club, and a Supercenter, but, for each one of those three stores, I failed to keep perfect attendance.
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Yesterday, on my birthday, I had the day off; however, my morale wasn't the best. During that night, one of the female bosses contacted me to ask me if I could go to work that night. She never gave me a reason, even though transparency is very important at every workplace. In order to make an informed decision, I had to know why she wanted me to go to work on my day off. Is something wrong? Is there a lot of freight? Did someone call out? Considering that I don't have any psychic abilities, I had to ask that particular boss. I asked if someone called out, and it was a reasonable, relevant question. However, she (1985-07-14) replied that that's not my concern. At that point, my level of tolerance decreased significantly. That's when I realized that I had to leave Walmart.
When I used to work for the local school district, things were quite different. For example, at the school where I was working, the employees would frequently receive an e-mail titled "Today's Absences." That's an actual example of transparency, and I'm very grateful for it. Those e-mails never failed to reinvigorate my morale.
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In April of 2021, when Walmart became my employer for the second time, I tried to enroll myself in two-step verification again. Surprisingly, I got a message that said "number is already assigned to another user." Previously, I had successfully enrolled myself in two-step verification with the same phone number that I still have. Although my phone number had not changed, I was unable to enroll myself in two-step verification for the second time. On 2021-04-27, I called Field Support; however, nobody was able to fix the problem. The next day, when I called Field Support again, a knowledgeable worker was able to fix the problem. It was a perplexing problem that should not have been a problem.
On 2021-08-21, when I ended my employment with Walmart again, the female leader of meat department left me a voicemail. In part of that voicemail, she told me: "t
Most importantly, though, I'm glad that I've been getting enough sleep, which is crucial for good health. I certainly don't miss the days when I would leave at 9 PM, and, the next day, I would be back at 6 AM. If I would have stayed, nothing would have changed:
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Two days ago, on 2022-02-04, I texted a former coworker of mine. I was somewhat disappointed, because I still had not received my 2021 Walmart W-2. For the second time in my life, there was a W-2 that I did not receive during the month of January. My 2021 Walmart W-2 arrived on 2022-02-05.
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As a Cashier for Lowe's, I was unable to satisfy the first customer that I had during that day. I kept getting an "unknown error," and I think that it had something to do with the customer's 10% Military Discount. Two coworkers of mine also tried to satisfy that customer, but they got the same error. Later in the day, the self-service machine of Minute Key went down. A Head Cashier sent me there, because I had to tell a Spanish-speaking customer that Lowe's has absolutely nothing to do with that machine. We couldn't get the key out of the machine, and I don't know if the customer was ever able to regain possession of the key.
The next day, 2022-05-21, was Armed Forces Day, and Lowe's is well-known for its 10% Military Discount; however, that day was one of the most chaotic work days of my life. Customers who wanted to pay with a card had to try multiple times to get the payment to go through, and each attempt took a ridiculous amount of time; therefore, many customers got very upset. Other Lowe's stores had the same problem with card payments:
Lowe's didn't make any public statement regarding the tremendous problem that adversely affected the morale of a multiplicity of people. The transparency of Lowe's leaves a lot to be desired.
I typically work at the front of the store; however, on 2022-06-17, I spent most of my shift outside. It felt very hot outside. I checked the temperature, and I wasn't surprised to see that it felt like 108 degrees Fahrenheit:
On 2022-06-18, I spent one hour of my shift at the Lowe's Pro Desk in lumber. While I was there, I noticed a convenient option called "Recall Estimate" that is not available in the program that we tend to use at the front of the store:
Later in the day, a female Head Cashier told me that I had to do a cart test. Considering that I had never heard of a cart test before, I had to ask what I had to do. She replied: "just scan all the items, and give me the total." I asked if I could bag a particular item, but she told me to "just leave everything on the cart." (If I'm not even allowed to bag one item, then the cart test certainly doesn't feel like a real transaction.) After I said the total out loud, she told me that I didn't offer Lowe's Protection Plans. I was surprised to hear that, because the instructions that she gave me didn't include that I had to offer LPPs. Needless to say, I have sold many LPPs. (I even sold two LPPs on that same day, even though most customers refuse to buy them. I also remember that I sold four LPPs on 2022-06-25.) Shortly afterwards, she told me that I had to assume that she's a real customer; however, she didn't tell me that before. She didn't give me accurate instructions; therefore, I don't think that I was given a fair chance to succeed.
Later in the day, strong winds sent a movable rack of plants into a stop sign. I took these three pictures on 2022-06-18:
Considering that there are many schedule changes, it's actually hard to properly plan ahead. Another thing that I would like to say is that there were days when nobody gave me a break. On 2022-06-29, for example, nobody gave me a break; therefore, towards the end of my shift, I went to use the restroom. Another thing that I would like to say is that there's almost no freedom at Lowe's. At 7-Eleven, for example, a Sales Associate is allowed to do a "no sale" at a cash register, a Sales Associate is allowed to get coins and bills for a cash register, and a Sales Associate is allowed to give a propane tank directly to a customer who has paid for it. At Lowe's, however, a Cashier is not allowed to do a "no sale" at a cash register, a Cashier is not allowed to get coins and bills for a cash register, and a Cashier is not allowed to give a propane tank directly to a customer who has paid for it. At Lowe's, a Head Cashier is the one who typically gets those things done.
I'm usually at a cash register, but, on 2022-07-04, I spent almost all of my shift supervising and satisfying customers who used self-checkout machines. Whenever I would notice customers who seemed inclined to use an In-Store Credit card, customers who seemed inclined to buy spray paint or fireworks, or customers who seemed inclined to buy any item without a barcode, I would quickly approach those customers. Here's a veridical example: I remember a customer who seemed inclined to buy edging stones (item 19186, to be exact), and that customer didn't call me, because I quickly took the initiative to approach that customer. However, towards the end of my productive work day, two managers apparently insinuated that I wasn't satisfying customers, because a Head Cashier told me that those two managers said that I must get closer to the customers.
I have satisfied Lowe's customers in many different ways, and I have also satisfied some of them with my own money. Regarding the times when I have satisfied customers with my own money, I usually satisfied them with my cash; however, I also satisfied some of them with my debit card. On 2022-06-06, I used my debit card to help out a male customer with 8.48 USD. On 2022-06-25, I used my debit card to help out a female customer with 7.55 USD. On 2022-07-04, I used my debit card to help out a male customer with 2.75 USD. I truly enjoy helping people out. On 2017-07-02, I donated 100.00 USD to "help pay some bills" of a male who was diagnosed with leukemia. I know neither the male nor anyone associated with him, but I still made the effort to help out:
On 2018-07-17, a female with whom I shared a school bus when we were both high schoolers said that she "started a campaign selling shirts" to try to cover the "medical expenses and medications" of a dog that was diagnosed with epilepsy. The following day, when I read that message for the first time, I clicked on the link to see the shirts. I noticed that only women's shirts were available, but I still bought five shirts for a total of 109.95 USD (excluding S&H):
On 2021-08-12, I encountered some guy who was holding a container that had cash and a picture of a male. He told me that he was raising money for the funeral of a male who fell to his death while he was working in construction. Although I don't know if he was being sincere towards me, I still gave him 40.00 USD. After that, he gave me a hug.
Not everyone seems grateful, though. I've been employed by Lowe's for over two months. I was never late, and I was never absent. Additionally, I tend to provide respectable customer service. Nevertheless, I sincerely believe that some of the supervisors of Lowe's are full of themselves. Apparently, they're the only ones who can do a good job.
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Sadly, however, I've been having problems with my online schedule. On 2022-08-19, when I realized that my schedule was still not accurate, I texted the female People Lead who gave me the orientation:
However, my schedule for the week of September 3 was not accurate. I was told that I will always have Sundays and Mondays off, but I was scheduled to work on Sunday and Monday of that week. On Monday, I was surprisingly scheduled to work from 2 PM through 11 PM.
I told one of my female bosses about that problem, and she told me that she will talk to the female who gave me the orientation. (Obviously, I wasn't expected to work on Sunday and Monday, because one of my female bosses had already told me that I will always have Sundays and Mondays off.)
I called out on 2022-08-27, because I had a lot of symptoms; however, I had a fever only on 2022-08-25. On 2022-08-28, when I tested positive for COVID-19, I actually improved significantly; therefore, on 2022-08-30, when I was scheduled to return to work, I happily returned to work. Walmart no longer offers paid leave of absence for employees who test positive for COVID-19; therefore, it is clear that Walmart no longer cares about COVID-19. Furthermore, in February of this year, Walmart ended its health screenings and mask mandate.
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I lost electricity on 2022-09-28, and I regained it on 2022-10-07. I returned to work on 2022-09-30, and it was impossible to return earlier; however, two people influenced me to believe that I had the opportunity to return to work on Thursday (2022-09-29). On that day, at night, I went to the Walmart store where I work; however, the store was closed. Here are the relevant messages:
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On 2022-12-30, at 9:50 AM, exactly one hour and 10 minutes before my orientation, the restaurant manager left me a voicemail. In part of that voicemail, he told me: "I was just giving you a call, because something came up with the job, and, instead of coming in today, please, give me a call back at the restaurant as soon as you can, and we will talk."
I called him, and he told me that somebody's transfer got delayed, and that he will call me "next week," but he never called me again. I sincerely thought that I was going to work for LongHorn Steakhouse, but I was deceived by a dishonorable manager.
Later that day, at 3:47 PM, two law-enforcement agents (a male and a female) showed up at my apartment. They told me that they wanted to know if my security camera recorded video starting from Tuesday night, and they gave me a card that said: "check window camera."
I called her, and here's part of what I said: "I just wanted to let you know that you're welcome to pick up the USB flash drive whenever you want." She told me that she will pick it up, but she never showed up.
On 2023-01-19, I had an interview at Aldi. The store manager and the district manager interviewed me, and they hired me that same day.
On 2023-02-11, while I was on the clock, my female store manager asked me if I could go to help out at an Aldi store that is located in another city. Considering that that store is far away from where I was, I spent some seconds thinking about the possibility of going there to help out, but, in front of customers, she (1985-08-09) quickly told me: "if you need help paying for an Uber, we can help you with that." She totally insinuated that I might not have enough money to afford an Uber ride, and I felt disrespected; therefore, I ended up refusing to go to help out at that store. Later that day, I sent her a text message to let her know that I don't need help paying for possible transportation.
At the Aldi store where I work, the electronic clock is located in the break room. The electronic clock is used to start and end shifts, breaks, and meals:
I have a female coworker who is just a regular employee, but my store manager gives her permission to lock herself in the break room to breastfeed. My store manager promotes gender inequality, even though Aldi says that "individuals of any gender should have equal rights."
On 2023-03-07, shortly after I was told to take my break, I tried to enter the break room to use the electronic clock; however, my female coworker in question had locked herself in the break room to breastfeed. She was the only worker who had the opportunity to use the electronic clock, and she was the only worker who had the opportunity to access any personal items that she might have left in the break room. Sadly, I didn't have those opportunities. I was told to write down the start and end of my break on a piece of paper. Needless to say, I'm not in favor of female privilege. Is it impossible to breastfeed at some place other than the break room?
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My last work day was on 2023-04-07, and I'm happy to say that I stayed until the end of my seasonal period of employment. Aldi is a decent company, and I sincerely miss working for Aldi.
During my shift, my schedule for that same work day was unexpectedly changed. Sadly, nobody told me anything about that. When I clocked out at 11:30 AM, I didn't realize that somebody had changed my schedule for that same work day. After I left the store, I finally realized what had happened, and I was just shocked.
I didn't notice it immediately, partially because I never expected to experience something as unethical as that; however, that doesn't mean that I don't tend to pay attention to details. On 2018-11-19, the female store manager (1978-06-17) that I had at the first 7-Eleven store where I was employed told me: "I am glad to see the attention to details."
At Burlington, most of my shifts were four-hour shifts; therefore, on 2024-01-04, when I noticed that I was initially scheduled to work a four-hour shift, I didn't think that anything might be wrong. I really don't think that the unexpected change was done with good intentions, because nobody asked me if I could work for a greater amount of time, and nobody told me that my schedule for that same work day had been changed during my shift. Considering that I value my dignity, I resigned the next day. Although I feel very grateful to have worked for Burlington, I certainly won't miss working for Burlington, primarily because that company paid me only 12.00 USD per hour. (Dollar General and Burlington were the only employers that paid me only minimum wage.) On 2024-01-09, I completed an exit survey, because I wanted to let Burlington know that I wasn't satisfied with the hourly rate.
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On 2024-09-13, she told me that a different Aldi store will be responsible for completing Section 2 of Form I-9. Seven days later, on 2024-09-20, I still didn't know when Section 2 of Form I-9 was going to be completed. Consequently, I sent a letter to the male store manager of that Aldi store, and it was delivered on 2024-09-23; however, he never replied to my letter.
On 2024-09-30, I noticed that my stocker curriculum in MyAcademy was 581 days past due. Additionally, I noticed that it was impossible to complete all of the training courses, because two of them were listed as "inactive." On 2024-10-02, I told my store manager that "there are two training courses in MyAcademy that I'm required to complete, but that I don't have the opportunity to complete, because they're listed as 'inactive.'" She never replied to my text message.
On 2024-11-04, after I clocked out, my store manager told me that she needs me to finish the MyAcademy training that is past due. After I logged in, I showed her that there are still two training courses that are listed as "inactive," and that I don't have the opportunity to complete them. Those were the only training courses that were past due. I gave her the tablet, and I left the workplace. Later that day, I asked her: "what happened with those two training courses that are inactive?" She told me that they closed them out, and that "it was a tech issue from last year."
On 2024-11-12, I received two gift cards from Aldi, and I felt grateful. On 2024-11-16, I tried one of those gift cards for the first time, and it worked perfectly.
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On 2023-03-23, I clocked out at 9:56 AM. A handful of minutes later, I noticed that one of my bicycle lights was missing. It is obvious that somebody stole it, and I felt dispirited.
On 2025-01-16, I clocked out at 10:52 AM. A few minutes later, I noticed that one of my bicycle lights was missing. It's upsetting to realize that somebody stole it. Here are the before-and-after pictures:
On 2025-03-02, I clocked out at 10:32 AM. A couple of minutes later, I noticed that my bicycle lights were missing. The lowlife who stole my bicycle lights has no regard for the rule of law. Here are the before-and-after pictures:
By the way, at Aldi, I don't always have short shifts. For example, on 2023-02-04, 2024-10-04, and 2024-10-06, I worked more than seven hours, and, on 2024-11-06, I worked more than eight hours.
On 2025-03-09, I clocked out at 10:36 AM. Two minutes later, I noticed that my bicycle lights were missing. Some scumbag stole my bicycle lights. Here are the before-and-after pictures:
